The D-Rank Guild Master of the No. 1 Guild

As with any death penalty, there’s a certain level of stat reduction. Additionally, with the dark world ability of Taggiros, Gio is cursed to remain unconscious and detained for a quarter, unable to return to us. At least, Gio won’t be awake and suffering through prison life. To him, it’ll be like a long sleep, waking up back with us eventually.

But what if something happens to Gio while he’s detained? How can we be sure he’ll be the same when he returns?

Doubts about the system crept into my mind. If Akata had been the one detained, the system might have secretly intervened to inspect and remove his bugs before putting him back unnoticed.

Lilith’s tears soaked my lap as she buried her face there. I stroked her hair repeatedly, aware of the sympathetic looks from the others. I tried to offer comfort.

“Gio will be fine. He’ll recover and come back to us. Time will pass quicker than we think. Let’s use this period to improve our skills and prepare for revenge against that champion.”

I was partly reassuring myself. Without this resolve, I wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight. I glanced over the Champion Challenge notice again.

– If the first challenger is defeated, other players in the guild can continue to challenge.

– If defeated, they will be detained with the previous challengers, but the rewards for victory remain the same.

– From the second challenge onward, one can withdraw at any time.

Technically, we can attempt the challenge multiple times, but it doesn’t apply to us. If even one more member gets detained, our guild will fall below the minimum requirement of five members and be disqualified.

If someone could definitely defeat the champion and bring Gio back, it would be worth it. But realistically, that’s unlikely since even Gio was defeated.

Would you like to proceed with the second challenge?

|Accept| |Decline|

Thus, my choice is already made. Alone in my private room, I hovered my finger over ‘Decline’ on the guild leader interface.

Then, I felt a chilling sense of being watched, like an unseen eye was peering through a hole in the wall.

I turned to look at the wall of my private room. New, inky black writing had appeared on the wall.

{You have deviated from the rules.}

{Send Akata to the Champion Challenge.}

{Then, we will allow the guild to survive.}

‘What is this?’

While another character might have panicked and fainted, I managed to stay composed. I knew that even if the GMs threatened me this way, they were just ordinary people in reality. 

I paced the room anxiously before finally sitting down heavily on the bed to collect my thoughts.

‘They’re telling me to sacrifice Akata to save the guild…?’

How outrageous. This system is truly ruthless. 

What I feared had come true. The GMs had likely noticed Akata’s anomaly during the PK match and now wanted to use this opportunity to extract his bug. They were enticing me with the promise of maintaining the guild if I didn’t refuse the second Champion Challenge and sent Akata instead.

‘But any guild with fewer than five members is automatically disbanded.’

The system didn’t mention this rule at all while asking me to send Akata. They promised to keep the guild but never assured us we’d be left alone. 

It would be easy for them to lie to a mere ‘character’. After all, deleting us would be the end. 

This raised a suspicion in my mind. Were they planning to eliminate not just Akata but also me?

If that was the case, refusing their demand wouldn’t make me safe in the game. I would face such danger again sooner or later.

‘And now, Gio is essentially a hostage.’

I contemplated more seriously than ever before. Finally, I made my decision.

***

I gathered the remaining guild members, excluding the detained Gio. Since Gio’s challenge had just ended, everyone arrived with puzzled expressions.

Lilith, Kanel, Unahar, and Akata. I called each of their names.

They were likely drawn in by my intense gaze. The atmosphere grew heavy quickly. Four pairs of eyes bore into mine, waiting for my words.

“Everyone, trust me. We’re going to challenge the Champion once more.”

As expected, everyone reacted strongly. The murmurs from the four filled the room.

My desperate cry grew louder and more resonant with each word, pressing down on everyone.

“I know, it seems incomprehensible. It looks like we’re all headed for doom!”

After yelling once, I relaxed my expression and looked at each guild member in turn.

“But that’s not the case. Have I ever been that kind of person to you? I might seem a bit reckless, but I’ve never been the type to leave nothing behind. Right?”

A brief silence ensued. Gradually, the expressions of my guild members softened. Unahar nodded quietly, and Lilith hid her trembling hands behind her back.

“So, who’s going to take the second challenge? Do you have absolute certainty of victory? Or a safeguard that ensures the guild doesn’t get disbanded even in defeat?”

“I can’t say right now. But I need you to trust me.”

I couldn’t explain anything. Yet, I selfishly and unreasonably asked them to trust me.

Suddenly, I remembered a time when I asked Gio, Lilith, and Unahar a similar question.

“Can you three show me your status windows?”

It was a simple request, but in truth, I was asking if they trusted me enough to entrust me with everything about them. They all had agreed willingly.

Many years have passed since then, and here we are now. Even though there’s someone who wasn’t present when I asked that question, ultimately, we are all family.

‘No matter what happens, no matter if something comes between us and someone avoids me, you are still my family.’

Whether you are game characters or not doesn’t matter to me anymore.

“I promise you, too. With my remaining life, I will fight for you.”

The way my people looked at me was so distant, as if they were under a blazing sun. The first to respond was Lilith.

“Rudel, I like you. No matter what choice you make now, even if it makes you a villain, I will still like you.”

Meeting her gaze, I gave a sad smile. I naturally extended my hand to Lilith. She happily took it and gently kissed the back of my hand before letting go. It was a gesture of trust and blessing.

As if passing a cup, Kanel, who was next to her, took my hand next. His thin lips touched the back of my hand briefly before pulling away.

“Rudel taught me that once a decision is made, it’s important to push through without wavering. Now, Rudel is my path.”

…Sorry to ruin the serious moment, but Lilith set a strange precedent. Since she started with a hand kiss, now everyone seems to be following suit.

‘I extended my hand for a handshake! It was cute and nice with Lilith, but after that, it’s been nothing but guys!’

The sentiment faded a bit, and I started to sweat nervously.

Unahar turned my palm sideways and kissed the inside of it. The unexpected sensation made me flinch.

“Rudel, even if you lead me to hell, I will follow willingly.”

Finally, it was Akata’s turn. Noticing my discomfort, he gave a small smile and, instead of kissing my hand, pressed his forehead against it in a gesture resembling a prayer.

“I hope I can be of strength to you, Rudel.”

It seemed Akata, too, had figured out who the next challenger would be. It was obvious. Even without the system’s demand, based on the guild members’ individual rankings, Akata was next in line.

I gazed at Akata’s face, perhaps for the last time. He probably already suspected. He knew something was wrong with him, that he exposed it during the PK match, and now his safety might be compromised.

‘We are the two who are aware of another world.’

But is this really okay? Telling him to go out for the next Champion Challenge is almost like telling him to just die.

“It’s alright, Rudel. You don’t have to make that face.”

Yet, he is full of trust in me. There is no fear in his eyes. Despite the uncertainty, despite not being able to explain the reasons behind this decision, he just believes in me. As if he lives solely on that trust.